Read Between The Frets: The Philosophy of Rock Music

Poor Sally Mae

Beyonce Knowles walks onto a silver stage in Las Vegas, Nevada¹ wearing little less than what normal people would call a bra and a mini skirt. Not only that, but she prides herself in shaking (or “dancing” as some may call it) so vigorously that more than half of the cameramen at the show are ready and aiming their cameras at exactly the right angles so as to catch any “extra skin” that might find its way outside of the glorious contraption Beyonce’s stylists call an outfit- oh, it was a wondrous day for these cameramen when Janet Jackson let them have it. 

 Sadly enough, the audience loves the show.  Most men twelve and older think that they have found heaven in the prime goddess, who unlike many of the women they meet on a daily basis, has no problem with “shaking her stuff” right before their eyes. After all, some law only dictated by her paycheck seems to give her a higher status than other women who also wear little-to-nothing and swing their hips in front of people they do not know for money. Meanwhile, young Sally Mae and Lucy Lee stand in front of their TV sets trying to imitate the artist’s moves while chanting “won’t you get me bodied, you want my body” in the hopes that one day they too will be idolized. Little do they know, theirs dreams will only come true if they desecrate their bodies for the sake of popularity. Of course there are decent people in Hollywood, put those who spend the most time in the limelight of controversy and sexuality are the ones who are most popular

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Modern rock has many faces—too many to count. Grunge, pop, punk, reggae, indie, progressive, metal, ska; the list goes on. Rock continues to branch off from what has previously been played into new styles that redefine the genre. Two categories mentioned above, ska and punk, have exhibited an unusual behavior which contradicts this trend. Originating in different times and in different places, the two styles have grown together in recent years: spawning what many call the musical genre of “ska-punk.” Beyond the musical fusion, this new style also brought about a joining of ideals from both types of music: the racial unity of Jamaican ska and the political fire of British and American punk. However, while ska-punk began with two fundamental ideologies, it has shifted towards bleakness and escapism—devoid of the strong philosophy of its founders.

In order to examine the philosophy of ska-punk music, it is important to first examine the two genres that came together to form it.

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Doesn't this guy look like fun?

To many, rock ‘n’ roll evokes images of the 60’s.  They imagine hippies preaching of peace and love, well intentioned experimentation with marijuana and LSD, and the protest of a terrible war.  To others, however, rock is a violent culture full of sex, drug addiction and teen angst.  They picture the heavy metal bands of only a few years later.  Even the generic imagery of the peace-loving “hippies” wearing tie-die, bell-bottom jeans, unkempt hair and bare or sandled feet contrasts sharply to the black leather and metal clad rockers.  How can these two completely different cultures both be called rock?  What could possibly hold together these two completely different ways of life that seem to be total opposites?

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“I’m not a name to keep at arm’s length.” Hip-hop artist Aelsop Rock (born Ian Matthias Bavitz)’s 2001 album Labor Days makes apparent this lyric from the otherwise mind-bogglingly cryptic “Coma” - Aesop Rock is an artist with a powerful message, and one who should not be ignored. Regardless of whether you enjoy commercial rap music (I rarely do), Aesop is worth a listen. Labor Days is widely considered his best album, and was critical in his rise to underground fame. The album reflects on the struggles of a working class imprisoned by capitalism; the chorus in “Daylight” repeats “All I ever wanted was to pick apart the day, put the pieces back together my way.” The powerful theme combined with impeccable beats, lyrics rife with metaphor and symbolism, and Aesop’s deep, smooth, damning voice reciting his dense, multi-layered, sesquipedalian critiques of capitalism and “wage slaves” add up to form a stunning album whose sweeping message becomes just a little clearer with every listen.

Labor Days was Aesop Rock’s second major release, and holds some autobiographical significance; Aesop’s first two albums, Music for Earthworms and the Appleseed EP were released after he had earned enough money working as a waiter to release them. “Daylight” from Labor Days became a popular single, and was released on an EP a year after the release of Labor Days. Labor Days was also Aesop’s first album released on Def Jux Records, and as with the previously released Appleseed EP and Float, was produced with the collaboration of hip-hop producer Blockhead.

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Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors

Rock music as it is defined today is comprised of numerous styles which, while differing greatly in musical standards and style, share a common goal of communicating thoughts and feelings to an audience. Pop, folk, indie, alternative, punk, metal, and ska are just a few examples of these styles; each features its own subgenres, totaling hundreds of distinct musical styles under the broad category of “rock music.” The breadth of music defined as “rock” is such that artists at opposing ends seemingly have nothing in common - comparing, for example, pop singer Kelly Clarkson to metal/punk band Every Time I Die. Clarkson and ETID really don’t have anything in common, other than being musicians - yet they can both be considered to fall under the category of rock, which in turn means that they both aim to communicate a message with listeners through their music.

The reason for rock music’s existence is not readily apparent. Entertainment is certainly a factor - people want to be entertained and are willing to pay for it. In this way, rock (and all forms of music) have become a major part of the “entertainment industry,” an industry which can be quite lucrative for those musicians who achieve success with their musical endeavors. There are certainly other forces perpetuating the growth of rock music, however. The broad range of powerful emotion showcased on Bright Eyes’ Fevers and Mirrors, for example, could not have been simply manufactured in a studio for moneymaking purposes: other factors undoubtedly exist that bring about such strong messages, and rock music undoubtedly has a larger reason for existence than financial profit.

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